Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

The venue itself is absolutely stunning-this was an investment for our big day and we absolutely would not have changed this being our site for the big day since it is such a special place to me and my husband. Because Cheekwood is such a gorgeous and historic venue, there were quite a few restrictions that limited some of our vision as far as vendors and other items were concerned. The venue served as an amazing backdrop to our big day but the logistics along the way made us question if it was worth it at times. Working with the venue, brides and grooms need to understand that many things are black and white with the venue so you have to be willing and aware that you will likely have to budge on your vision to make this venue work for you. We wouldn't change it and regret nothing about our choice but would urge others to be prepared for the limitations and potential communication gaps we did not foresee. Fortunately the venue does require a planner to have an event take place here so that really helped bridge some stressful gaps otherwise our day might have gone in a very different direction without our planner's help. The venue is stunning but event planning here could definitely be improved.

Everything was beautiful and excellent. The staff was very easy to work with.

Cheekwood was the most beautiful wedding venue! The staff was exceptionally helpful leading up to our wedding day and were easy to contact with any questions. The only thing to be aware of before booking this venue is that none of the lighting or rentals are included in the venue rental fee and all bar packages must be purchased through Cheekwood (this does add up). We used the Frist Learning Center venue at Cheekwood and everything worked out perfectly. Cheekwood offered so many gorgeous locations for photos with the wedding party beforehand and the Frist courtyard was the perfect size for our approximately 150 guests with a band and dance floor.

I recently tried to plan a wedding here and feel that it was a waste of my time. Previous reviews mentioned poor communication but but honestly it is even worse than that. Here is what I sent their Manager: I appreciate you following up but we decided to move forward with another venue. To be honest it was the lackadaisical and underwhelming performance of your entire team that made this an easy decision. Starting in December I had to email into your office more than 3 times before anyone would get back to me. From there responses were inconsistent and took much longer than all of your competitors to receive. I read reviews of your venue and saw comments about how difficult it was to communicate with your venue but overlooked it because of how pretty your spaces were. I am sad to say that they were correct. Your team comes off like you don't care and that you think that you are the only venue in the area worth having a wedding at but you are not. I asked several times for members of your team to call me back and I only got 1 call throughout a multi-week duration. Your team is not flexible and accommodating and really made me feel like you didn't care to help make planning my wedding any easier for me. You just threw a huge list of vendors at me and essentially said, "figure the rest out on your own." I did call all of your vendors for quotes and while your catering people were quick to respond and very welcoming, Anne at Music City Tents and Events was a nightmare to get in touch with. I had to call/email her and the business at least 5 times for over a week before she even got on the phone to call me. You both are guilty of using variations of, "we were busy with other clients with events now" as excuses for your extreme delay in getting back to future business. I understand you have current events you have to manage but if you keep treating potential clients like this you won't have any business in the future to worry about. The worst part is I tried to overlook all of this because I liked your venue and convinced myself that this was my venue of choice but when I asked for contract you STILL took way too long to get it to me and used a myriad of excuses that made me feel like even less of a priority for reasons why it took you 2 days to send me a contract. I want to let you know that I am not writing this letter to vent pent up frustrations or to get something in return. I signed a contract with a venue over a week ago and I took this long to respond because I had a lot going on and frankly wasn't exactly sure on how I wanted to relay this information to you. I am writing this to you because you and your whole team need to know - including your outside "preferred vendors". You need to know that your level and consistency in communication is less than dire and that the disinterested vibe you give off to potential clients is losing you all money. It may not run you out of business but nonetheless it is hindering your ability to make even more of it and it is effecting your reputation. There are so many equally impressive venues in the Nashville area and I would encourage you and your team to look into the level of service that they provide to even their potential clients and incorporate them into your own business. It is sad that we will not being working together just because no one on your end could bother to pick up the phone and tell me why things were getting delayed or send a email within a reasonable about of time.

As a parent who paid for the venue for my daughter's reception, my recommendation would be that you consider another venue. Cheekwood, of course, is so beautiful and elegant but extremely difficult as a venue choice. During the year that we worked with them, there were three different staffs. The communication was terrible. We had so many headaches in working with them as did some of our vendors. In the end it cost us significantly more than ever expected!!!! The first staff we worked with led us to believe it would cost much less. They provide you with estimates that are not even close to reality. And the worst of all is that they did not honor part of our contract. They served a lower end liquor than we requested and also served the beer at room temperature. As a native Nashvillian I have always been a supporter of Cheekwood. I used to go there frequently. However, I now realize that they are more interested in making money than providing a quality venue. How sad. I only hope they will learn to work with their clients and to live up to the contract they sign.

Our wedding reception at Cheekwood was simply amazing. We had it in Botanic Hall, indoors, and it was the perfect venue. The great thing about Botanic Hall is that there are floor to ceiling windows surrounding the whole room, so you feel like you are in the lush Cheekwood Gardens but don't have to worry for a year if the weather will hold up. The Cheekwood staff was so helpful along the way, and they really allowed us to make our vision a reality. We brought the garden indoors, with trees, branches, lanterns, neutrals, and corals, with Jim Knestrick by Design. Guests were greeted with a glass of champagne and chambord, with southern culinary delights like mini sweet potato biscuits with thinly shaved country ham. The Corner Market Catering Company hit a home run. The Brandon Lay Band lit up the dance floor with country favorites like "Wagon Wheel" and other classic dancing tunes. Music City Tents and Events created the perfect ambiance with creative lighting, chandeliers, and table designs. Wedding planner Marcia Husband kept everyone on time, in check, and stress free. We simply loved Cheekwood and would not have changed a thing about our experience.

Beautiful location, staff could have been more timely with price quotes and venue layouts.

Beautiful site for wedding!

I held my ceremony only at Cheekwood. The staff in the special events office was extremely good at responding quickly to all my inquiries and questions, and they were available and very helpful on the day of the wedding. They provided a really nice "bride room" for my bridesmaids and I to change and hang out in before the ceremony and even shuttled us over to the garden so I wouldn't have to walk in my dress. Of course, the gardens are gorgeous, so it's a great place for pictures. Plus they include a one-year family membership to the gardens when you have your wedding there, which sweetens the deal!

Our wedding ceremony was at the Wills Garden and our reception was at The Frist Learning Center. Every detail of our wedding was perfect. We worked with Jenny Fyke in Cheekwood's events department and she couldn't have been any more perfect! Our personalities instantly clicked and she went above and beyond to make my day everything I wanted and more. Every guest raved over both locations, the decorations and lighting. It was a fairy tale.

We worked with Cheekwood for approximately eight months before our wedding. We finally cancelled our contract with them because they were understaffed, unprofessional, established little trust in their ability to handle our reception. Most phone calls and emails went unreturned. When they were returned it was usually by someone new as the employee turnover was frequent. The experience was so frustrating we were willing to move our reception to another location just four weeks before our wedding. We were also willing to lose our deposits (as unfair as this was) just to stop dealing with them and to have more confidence that our wedding day was one we could enjoy.